Bulletin board

Encourage the government to do the right thing!

You have probably heard that the government of Ontario has proposed a dramatic reduction in the use of neonicontinoid pesticides. The Grain Farmers of Ontario are against limiting the use of these pesticides and have launched ads in a number of newspapers asking people to complain to the provincial government that farmers are under attack.

If you think neonics should be banned or limited, take a minute and send the premier an email. There will be a lot of pressure on the government to cave in to the farmers' demands. The government needs to see there is widespread support for limiting these toxic pesticides.

We like to complain when the government does the wrong things, but we also need to encourage them to do the right things. Email Kathleen Wynne at premier@ontario.ca.

Attention Wildlife Photographers!!!

Wild Bird Photography Contest

The City of Ottawa is holding a photography contest in conjunction with the upcoming Wildlife Speaker Series event, Winter is for the Birds, to be held on the evening of December 9 at Ben Franklin Place.

All photographs received will be displayed in a public slideshow before and after the Wildlife Speaker Series presentation on December 9. The five best photos, as selected by a panel of judges (which includes Ottawa Citizen journalist Bruce DiLabio, the Photo Editor of Canadian Geographic as well as a City of Ottawa Professional Photographer) will be professionally printed, mounted and presented to the winners as well as displayed for a limited time at City Hall and on ottawa.ca. Winners will be notified prior to the Wildlife Speaker Series event.

Photographs must be submitted no later than midnight on Monday, December 1, 2014 to be eligible.

Maximum of three (3) photographs can be submitted per person.

Submissions must clearly indicate the name of the person who took the photo(s) and where the photo was taken (e.g., name of park, neighbourhood, or village – exact locations are not required). Contact name, email and phone number must also be provided.

All entries must be submitted electronically as jpg files via email at wildlife-faune@ottawa.ca. Digital files should be at least 1,000 pixels wide for a horizontal image or 1,000 pixels tall for a vertical image. By submitting a photograph, entrants agree to the Terms and Conditions as stated in the full Contest Rules and Regulations on Ottawa.ca.

The Wildlife Speaker Series is intended to increase residents' knowledge and appreciation of wildlife and promote coexistence through understanding and respect. Registration is not necessary and all of these events are free of charge.

Birds and Windows Project

The University of Alberta has developed the Birds and Windows Project to study bird window collisions at your home. We encourage everyone - whether you've had a bird collision or not - to take a look at our website and participate in the study.

What is the issue?
It has been estimated up to 1 billion birds are killed in North America each year as a result of bird window collisions! This is one of the largest threats to bird populations, with residential homes representing the majority of building-related mortality.

Get involved!
To better understand what can be done to reduce bird window collisions, the University of Alberta has developed this project to actively involve YOU in data collection. We are asking you to think about bird window collisions you have observed in the past and would like you to regularly search around your residence for evidence of bird window collisions in the future. By collecting this data we hope to identify the factors that make some windows more risky for birds than others.

The project consists of a brief survey (10 minutes) on the characteristics of your home and any previous history of bird window collisions. After this is completed you are encouraged to actively participate in the study for an extended period by completing daily perimeter searches around your home. Each time you complete a perimeter search we'd like you to enter your observation into our online calendar (which the survey will link you to once you've completed the first stage). If daily searches do not fit you lifestyle we still encourage you to participate. As well, there is no limit to how long you can participate.

Thank you for helping us make our homes a healthy habitat for us and all our neighbours!